UN envoy for Somalia calls for calm and dialogue

11 January 2018 – The top United Nations envoy for Somalia
has called for calm and dialogue amid reports of clashes
between security forces from ‘Somaliland’ and
neighbouring Puntland.

“Our position is to try and
reduce tensions [and] to increase dialogue very quickly
between both sides, so that if there are misunderstandings,
these are clarified,” said the UN Secretary-General’s
Special Representative for Somalia, Michael Keating, while
in Hargeisa, the capital of ‘Somaliland.’

“If there
are genuine differences, then they have to be subject to
immediate discussion,” he added. “But resorting to
military solutions and to violence is not the way to resolve
these problems.”

The UN envoy was speaking at a joint
press encounter yesterday with ‘Somaliland’s’ Foreign
Minister, Saad Ali Shire, after having met with
‘Somaliland’s’ President Muse Bihi Abdi – their
first meeting since the latter was elected late last
year.

Earlier this week, there were reports of clashes
between security forces in the Sool region, part of a
disputed area claimed by both ‘Somaliland’ and Puntland,
located on the north-eastern tip of the Horn of Africa.

In
their meeting, Mr. Keating and Mr. Bihi Abdi discussed the
new government’s priorities, as well as the latest
security issues.

“I was very impressed by and grateful
to the President for his commitment, borne from his many
decades of personal experience, of the importance of finding
peaceful solutions to problems, “ he said, “and that a
priority must be to try and prevent violence of any kind,
whether in ‘Somaliland,’ or, indeed, between
‘Somaliland’ and others.”

While in Hargeisa, the UN
envoy also met with several cabinet ministers to discuss
various topics, including education, health, security, the
impact of drought and employment, and how the United Nations
can best provide support in addressing humanitarian and
development challenges in these areas. Similar meetings were
subsequently held with civil society representatives.

Part
of the mandate of the UN Assistance Mission in Somalia
(UNSOM) – which Mr. Keating also heads and which has an
office in Hargeisa – is to support ‘Somaliland’
efforts towards a politically stable and democratic system
that adheres to the principles of good governance.

The Special Representative also
visited the Laas Geel rock shelters, located an hour
north-east of Hargesia, and the location of Neolithic
paintings dating back several thousands of years.

“One
of the reasons I wanted to come here is because it’s good
to be reminded that [while] the image of this part of the
world is about conflict and so much despair and suffering,
and yet it’s also one of the cradles of civilization,”
Mr. Keating said.

“So while it’s a resource for the
world, it’s also very important for Somalis to know that
they are living in a land with great history and traditions
and that is changing and is dynamic,” he added.

French
researchers came across the site during an archaeological
survey of the area in 2002, and it is considered to be one
of the oldest rock art sites in Africa and the most
important ancient site in ‘Somaliland.’ The paintings
depict wild animals, decorated cattle and
herders.

According to local authorities, up to 200 hundred
visitors, from the region and abroad, make the trek to the
site each month, despite access difficulties and concerns
over security.

“That would suggest that the potential is
indeed enormous, and not just limited to rock caves, “
said Mr. Keating. “There’s the natural environment, the
coast and the beaches are incredible, the potential for
tourism is enormous.”

There have been concerns over
recent years that the site’s paintings are under threat of
serious deterioration from their exposure to the elements as
well as local animals.

The UN Educational, Scientific and
Cultural Organization (UNESCO) sent a team to review the
site in 2016. It has made recommendations on how to best
safeguard it, and is working with local authorities on
putting those measures in
place.

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